Quality accredited community foundations offer a full philanthropy advice service plus customised grant portfolio development. The benefits to donors are that community foundations are a fast and flexible way of helping those with an existing charitable trust, or those who don't have a giving vehicle set up for them.
Community foundations provide advice and planning support, help with identifying effective organisations to fund, handle administration, and work to standards endorsed by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. We also provide networking and donor education opportunities.
Community foundations establish funds for people who already have charitable trusts as well as those who are new to philanthropy and wish to set up a fund with their community foundation.
1. Philanthropy advice
- Consultations and briefings on a range of issues to understand donor interests, including sector research
- Strategy setting and planning
- Opportunities for introductions, networking and visits
2. Fund design
- Selecting the right fund type
- Managing people’s charitable trusts
- Developing priorities, criteria, exclusions
- Promotion: deciding on the name of the fund
- Fund investment options
3. Outreach
- Promotion of donor funds to relevant charities and community groups
- Technical assistance to charities that suit the donor's profile (if required)
- Handling enquiries
4. Handling and due diligence
- Receiving and assessing applications
- Due diligence and eligibility checks
- Recommendations to the donor
5. Making grants/disbursements
- Working with the donor and their advisers on recommendations
- CF acceptance of legal and fiscal responsibility on the donor’s behalf
- Informing applicants
- Managing grant payments
6. Monitoring, evaluation and reporting
- Monitoring of grant expenditure
- Reporting back
- Appraisal of impact
- Review of fund